Health officials say a surge in respiratory syncytial virus is happening earlier than normal this year.
Thirty per cent of all cases in the hospital’s emergency department in the past month have been children with respiratory illnesses, according to Dr. Claire Seaton, a pediatrician at B.C. Children’s Hospital.
Respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, is a common virus that causes infections of the lungs and respiratory tract, and most children have been infected with the virus by age two. RSV symptoms are mild in healthy children and adults but the virus can cause severe infection in some people, including older people, and those with heart and lung disease, or anyone with a weak immune system.
Public health measures such as wearing masks, keeping a physical distance, washing hands, and getting a flu vaccine can help to keep the kids safe, she said. “I think it’s important to realize that the viral surge has already increased hospitalization rates in other parts of Canada,” she said. “So the RSV surge, which normally happens in November, is happening earlier this year … and we are starting to see those cases here.”
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